Ever since Texas and Oklahoma announced they were joining the SEC in 2021, everyone and their grandmother has had an opinion about how the new 16-team conference should be structured schedule-wise. When the SEC announced the 2024 schedule last year it appeared clear at the time that the 2024 season would be a transition year to onboard the new teams. Keeping the conference schedule at eight games while eliminating divisions seemed like a temporary stopgap while the powers-that-be in Birmingham and Bristol determined a more effective (and equitable) scheduling system.
Fast forward a year and the conference has announced the 2025 iteration of the schedule before the 2024 version has been performed.